As Reliance prepare the launch of its own business-to-consumer (B2C) marketplace that will sell everything from food to fashion, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries has started withdrawing its clothes, shoes and lifestyle products from would-be rival marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart. These include its own as well as global brands for which the group has sold rights in India.
The process of withdrawals has gathered pace in recent months as RIL prepares for its major online initiatives later this year, according to three people aware of the development.RIL has the highest number of global fashion and lifestyle brands in its stable with around four dozen joint ventures or master franchise arrangements with international labels including Diesel, Kate Spade, Steve Madden, Burberry, Canali, Emporio Armani, Furla, Jimmy Choo, and Marks & Spencer.
Many of these brands are sold online on Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Jabong, and Tata Cliq, among other sites. Reliance wants to create exclusivity for global as well as its own brands to attract consumers to its portal. Reliance Trends and Reliance Brands have been asked to expedite the phasing-out process from non-Reliance marketplaces in the coming weeks. Reliance has stopped taking new orders. Whatever is available on the third-party marketplaces will be sold till the stocks are exhausted. It has big plans for the B2C marketplace too. Reliance already operates online fashion platform Ajio.com, which also sells global and Indian brands outside of the group’s stable.
